Even the Best Fall Down Sometimes
by NeverWonder
Summary: After Rachel announces she can't compete at Sectionals she leaves school visible upset, and Finn skips football practice and work to find her.


**Author's Note**: I just couldn't resist turning my head canon into a fic, and I really love my friend Kelsey for 'pressuring' me to write it.

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><p>She'd done the right thing, and she knew that; she couldn't let Kurt get suspended for what she'd done, even if she'd only been trying to help. But now not only was she suspending for a week, creating a void in New Directions by losing them her voice, she was also pretty certain that with a suspension for stuffing ballot boxes on her permanent record NYADA would not be interested in her anymore. Her friendship with Kurt was worth it, or at least that's how she'd gotten through her decision to confess to Principal Figgins; she'd never been in trouble like this before, and she certainly never been suspended. She wasn't sure what her fathers would say when she told them what had happened, and she was honestly afraid of what they would do. Disappointing her fathers was unthinkable, and now she felt as if she'd done just that, even if she'd confessed and owned up to her mistake.<p>

It had taken every ounce of strength not to break down while she was still at school; she'd gone to the choir room directly after her visit to the office, and just moments after telling the team that she wasn't competing she made a quick exit, intending to go straight home and avoid a scene. Normally she thrived on dramatics, but today she simply couldn't handle it. She felt dreadful about all of it, and she just needed to be alone. The drive home seemed so much longer, and she hoped that the house would be empty so that she'd have time to prepare before her fathers got home; she'd convinced Principal Figgins not to call them, and as usual he was more than willing to avoid extra work, especially late in the school day. When she arrived home, she raced upstairs, dropped her school books on her desk, and threw herself onto her bed; finally alone, she allowed the tears to fall, pulling her knees to her chest and curling into a tight ball.

He told Coach Beiste that he couldn't be at practice because he had to help Rachel, but she had actually canceled practice; he guessed something was going on with her because she never canceled practice, no even when it was freezing outside. Since he didn't have a regular schedule at the tire shop, he figured that it wouldn't matter if he went straight to Rachel's after school instead of working; besides, Rachel was more important that a paycheck anyway. As soon as Rachel left the choir room, he shoved his notebook into his back and headed out to follow her, but by the time he got out into the hallway, Rachel was gone. As he drove to her house, he couldn't keep the image of Rachel standing there, tears in her eyes, out of his mind; she'd looked so broken, and he just wanted to take her in his arms and hold her until she felt better. Sure he knew that Rachel was as strong girl who didn't need to be rescued, but all the same, she was his Rachel, and he would be there for her no matter what.

Her car was the only one in the driveway, and he was glad; now was not a good time to have to deal with her dads, especially when he was pretty sure that they at least suspected him of, as Rachel put it, deflowering their daughter. Putting all those things aside, he parked his truck, left his books inside, and headed toward her door; when he reached it, he found it unlocked, and he made a mental note to remind her that even in Lima leaving doors unlocked wasn't safe. He didn't like the idea of his tiny girlfriend home alone in an unlocked house, and it reminded him of the fact that she was going to be in New York City, a place ten million times scarier than Lima; if she left the door unlocked there she'd be in even more danger, which was a very good reason he needed to find a way to go with her. Sometimes he didn't understand why his usually super smart girlfriend didn't use her common sense more often. Once he entered the house, he hurried up the stairs, knowing that she'd probably be hiding in her room.

"Rach, babe, are you in there?" She didn't answer when he knocked on the door. "I'm coming in."

"Go away." He knew she didn't mean it, and it killed him to hear her voice crack like that; when he stepped into the room, she was curled up on her bed, almost shaking, and he could tell she was still crying.

"I'm not going anywhere." She felt the bed shift as he sat down next to her, and she let out a shaky sigh. "I know you're upset, baby."

Suddenly, he had his arms around her, scooping her up and settling her in his lap; the petite brunette felt the remaining will not to fall apart leave her, and she sobbed quietly into his chest, shaking slightly. He let his hands rub her back soothingly, hugging her close to his chest; stroking her hair, he felt her tears soaking through his shirt, and he murmured softly that he loved her and that it would be alright. He could feel her trembling in his arms, and he wanted so desperately to make her feel better. But he knew that she would have to cry until she was finished; he'd seen it before when she thought she wasn't going to get into NYADA after she met that Harmony girl, and he was sure he would see it again. The only thing he could do was hold her in his arms and assure that they would figure it out together, just like she'd told him before when he thought his life was over because he didn't get recruited.

"I had to tell him; I had to confess. I mean, I couldn't just let Kurt get suspended for something I'd done. It wouldn't be right." Her words came as whispers, and she still wasn't looking at him.

"You did the right thing, baby; you did absolutely the right thing, and I'm proud of you." He dropped a kiss on the top of her head. "I know it sucks that you got suspended and can't compete, but you did the right thing; I'm proud of you, Rach, so proud."

"But n-now I might not get into NYADA; I g-got suspended, and it's on my permanent record." She looked up at him, her eyes red and puffy, and he reached up to gently wipe away her tears. "I ruined my chances, and I almost ruined Kurt's. I've sabotaged New Directions too."

"No, Rach, you haven't ruined anything; it'll be alright. We'll figure it out, baby; I promise we will." Her lower lip trembled, and she gripped his shirt. "Everything will be ok."

"Y-you really think so?" He smiled softly, his lips brushing her cheek and tasting tears there.

"I know so." A small smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. "You are Rachel Berry, and nothing keeps you down. You'll get through this, and I'll be there for you all the way."

Rachel leaned up, responding to his promise with an ardent kiss, and she shifted in his lap, causing him to grip her hips to prevent her from teetering and slipping off into the floor; the hem of her dress slid up her thighs, and Finn's fingers brushed the newly bare skin. He let his eyes fall closed as her arms slid around his neck, her slender fingers raking through his hair, and he couldn't suppress the groan that left his lips. It was like she was pouring everything she had into kissing him, and it felt amazing; she pressed herself closer to him, like she couldn't get close enough, and he slid his hands to her back, holding her to him. She nipped at his bottom lip, and he let his lips part for her tongue as when it darted out to soothe the bite. His eyes widened when she suddenly wrapped her legs around his waist.

"I love you _so much_." She murmured against his lips, and he noticed that the tears were gone and that a smile had reached her eyes.

"I love you too." He managed to whisper the words before a soft moan escaped as her lips found his neck. "Rach—"

Her kisses became more urgent, and he lifted her gently, breaking from the kiss just long enough press her back against the pillow; peppering soft kisses along her jaw, he let his hands stroke down her sides. She breathed a soft sigh, her eyes falling closed as she let the warmth of his kisses wash over her, driving away her worries at least temporarily; his hands reached her hips and traveled lower until they found the smooth skin of her thighs, and he was rewarded with a breathy moan. Smiling against her skin, he let his hands begin to glide higher, and he felt her fingers stroke through his hair, raking his scalp; suddenly she pulled him into a fierce kiss, and it felt like she was pouring everything she had into him. Her tongue parted his lips, melding with his, and her legs parted slightly, allowing him to settle between them; her breath hitched as his hands moved to her back, finding the zipper of her dress.

She breathed his name and sat up just enough to allow him to unzip her dress and peel it off her torso; a faint blush colored her cheeks when his eyes fell on the yellow satin with bright pink polka dots that covered her breasts. Although Finn had seen her naked on numerous occasions, Rachel's modesty still affected her, and she still felt terribly shy and slightly embarrassed by her choice of less than sexy undergarments. A small smile flickered across his lips, his fingers brushing the soft skin of her neck and chest, and he pressed soft, warm kisses over her skin, raising goose bumps in their wake. He could feel her fingers slipping under his shirt, stroking his skin as if she wanted to memorize every inch of him; she hooked the hem, tugging upwards, and he was forced to pull away from her body to let her pull it over his head and toss it aside. Her hips lifted, and he gently tugged the dress down, revealing a pair of panties that matched her bra; the grin that spread across his face washed away her concerns that her choice of undergarments was somehow a deterrent.

Her hips rocked upwards, and she released a soft moan when she brushed his erection through his jeans; he moaned with her, hands moving to his belt to unbuckle it; her hands joined his as she kissed him hungrily, and soon she'd shoved them off his hips. He had to pull away from her again to kick off his jeans and socks, and it took only a moment for Rachel to pull him back to her, her lips capturing his as her fingers slid over his back. He let out a low groan when he felt her legs wrap around his waist and her hips rock into his; only thin fabric separated them, and his eyes slammed shut at the feel of her heat so close to him. Without warning, his hips bucked into her, and the soft moan that left her lips was almost enough to send him straight over the edge. His hands slid up her body, stroking her sides before slipping behind her back to unfasten her bra; his lips followed a familiar trail down her neck, peppering the soft tops of her breasts before dropping lower to envelope a nipple. She practically mewled his name, and her fingers tugged on his hair, causing him to moan as his tongue lavished her nipple with attention until she was writhing on the bed beneath him.

"_Finn_!" She gasped out his name as her need began to spiral out of control.

"You are so beautiful, baby, so damned beautiful and perfect." His voice was a husky whisper, and his hand slid down again, cupping her through the damp fabric of her panties.

Her legs unwrapped themselves from his waist, and her hips bucked into his hand; smiling against her skin, he let a single finger push her panties aside and stroke her, causing her to release a high pitched moan. Deep brown eyes met his, filled with need, and his finger dipped into her, pumping slowly and carefully at first. Even though they'd been—as Rachel put it—intimately engaged on several occasions since their first time, things were sometimes still awkward, and they were still sort of figuring things out. Rachel's eyes fell closed, and Finn found himself enraptured by the sight of his girlfriend whimpering under his touch; basing his actions on her reactions, he dipped a second finger into her heat, and her hips lifted from the bed. She felt the familiar swoop of heat as her arousal continued to build until she could wait no longer; she moan out his name, hips rocking rhythmically against the motion of his fingers.

"I _need you_." She whimpered, her fingers sliding down his stomach to the waistband of his boxer briefs.

"_Rach_—" He had to close his eyes to regain control, and when he opened them again she'd pulled back to remove her knee socks; he reached for her hands to stop her. "Leave 'em."

Her eyes widened, but he gave her a crooked smile as if to reassure her and pressed her back against the bed; his fingers hooked the waistband of her panties, and she lifted her hips to allow him to pull them off before reaching to tug his boxer briefs down as far as she could. He pulled back to finish removing them while she reached over to open the drawer in her night stand where she kept condoms; for a moment the thought of her fathers finding her secret stash of condoms under the five thousand packages of gold star stickers flashed through his mind, and it was terrifying. But Rachel regained his attention, waving the foil package playfully, and worries about her fathers were chased from his mind as he watched her tear the package with her teeth. Her fingers wrapped around his length, and he released a less than manly moan as she slowly stroked him before rolling on the condom.

"I love you so much." He murmured the words just loud enough for her to hear as he settled between her thighs.

Finn was determined to take it slow and make it last as long as possible; Rachel reached for his hands, her fingers lacing with his as he gently rolled his hips forward, and she released a soft moan. His lips traveled down the line of her neck, nipping and sucking at the sensitive skin, as he thrust slowly and firmly in hopes that it would help him maintain control. Her legs wrapped around his waist, pulling him closer, and his eyes widened; suddenly he was deeper than he'd ever been, and he was afraid that he might have hurt her. But she simply tightened her grip on his hands, and he could feel the fabric of her knee socks on his waist; there was something incredibly sexy about Rachel naked except for her knee socks with her legs wrapped around his waist while he was buried so deep inside her. His lips buried into the warm skin at the juncture of her neck and shoulder, and she whimpered beneath him. Rachel felt like every nerve was firing at once, and she released his hands to trace over his skin, feeling his muscles tense with each thrust. The new depth of each thrust sent waves of sensation through her, and she couldn't control the moans that left her lips as she clung to him. Normally they were cautious, and he was afraid to thrust too hard, too fast, or too deep; Finn always moved as if she were a fragile porcelain doll he might break. But today was different, and it was an amazing sensation.

"_Finn!_ Oh my—so good." Her body tensed, and she gasped out, rocking her hips upward to match his thrusts.

"Baby, I _can't_—not much longer." Her eyes flew wide, hips jerking when his fingers slipped between them to make contact with the sensitive bundle of nerves.

Her moans became louder and higher pitched; it was like she was hitting these amazing notes, and he focused on trying to make her hit those notes over and over. Experimentally, he pulled his hips back slowly, pulling out as far as he could before surging forward again, and Rachel gasped out, bowing off the bed and pressing her body against his. Her reaction was incredible, and he wondered if he could make her react like that again; he was amazed to discover that he could. His fingers worked her clit firmly as he repeated the action over again until she was clinging to him, gasping out his name; she felt the familiar throbbing heat as her body tensed. Everything soon blurred into Finn's name falling from her lips and the feel of her orgasm sweeping through her and leaving her body quivering beneath his. Her climax triggered his, and he found his body quaking, his hips jerking as he spilled into the condom; he shuddered with his release, and he found that he could not hold himself above her.

"Stay," she murmured the word when he tried to roll onto his side to prevent crushing her, and she pulled him down against her. "You won't hurt me."

"I love you so much." He slid his arms around her, pulling her body flush against his so that when he rolled over they stayed connected. "Don't you ever forget that, Rachel Berry; I love you, and as long as we have each other, it'll be alright."


End file.
